Aug 22–23, 2025 · Lincoln, IL · 📍 601 Pulaski Street
Reps: Jeanne Titus, Tina Weller · Prize money: $5,000
Electro-Que-ted won Grand Champion at the Up in Smoke on the Square (BACKYARD ONLY) on August 22, 2025 in Lincoln, IL at 601 Pulaski Street, scoring 357.7144 in a field of 31 teams. Bramble BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 350.2628. Category winners: Chicken — Electro-Que-ted (178.8572); Pork Ribs — Electro-Que-ted (178.8572). This is the 11th of 12 editions of this contest on record; the 2024 edition was won by Up From The Pits BBQ; the next was held in 2026.
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Chicken places 1–2: Electro-Que-ted and Sugba Smokehouse tied on 178.8572 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 5–6: Too Sauced BBQ and All Smoked Up BBQ tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: Big James Kitchen and LEE LA Q tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
Electro-Que-ted won Chicken, Pork Ribs — a double, and took the Grand Championship on top of it.
Electro-Que-ted turned in 178.8572 in pork ribs — past the 177.7372 that had stood across 10 earlier editions.
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: 309 BBQ (won 2023), Up From The Pits BBQ (won 2024).
Records held by every edition of this contest put together, not just this one afternoon.
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 2013 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL | 46 | 689.6916 | A BOY & HIS BBQ | Twyford's BBQ & Catering |
| Aug 22, 2014 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL 62656 | 50 | 699.4400 | MONSTER-QUE | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE |
| Jun 5, 2015 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL 62656 | 40 | 689.0740 | ST. LOUIS BLACK IRON BBQ | THE CHILLY WATER SMOKERS |
| Jun 3, 2016 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln , IL 62656 | 52 | 685.6800 | OUTSIDERS BBQ | TRUCKY'S TRUE BLU BBQ'UE |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Lincoln, IL | Kilkapool/Plilaski | 32 | 695.8968 | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE | PORK PARADISE |
| Jun 1, 2018 | Lincoln, IL | Kilkapool/Plilaski | 40 | 687.3600 | SMOKIN ACES@THEBBQSUPERSTORE.COM | iBQ'n |
| May 31, 2019 | Lincoln, IL | Lincoln, IL 62656 | 36 | 682.8576 | The BBQ Bus | iBQ'n |
| Jun 4, 2021 | Lincoln, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 26 | 346.8344 | 309 BBQ | — |
| Aug 23, 2024 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 28 | 350.8688 | Up From The Pits BBQ | — |
| Aug 22, 2025 ← this one | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 31 | 357.7144 | Electro-Que-ted | — |
| Aug 28, 2026 | Lincoln, IL | 601 Pulaski Street | 16 | 349.6916 | Smokin E's BBQ | — |
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 174.2628 |
| Pork Ribs | 178.8572 | 174.2628 | 173.1200 |
31 entries · top 357.7144 · median 340.5028
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 2 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 3 | E SQUARED BBQ | |
| 4 | Too Sauced BBQ | |
| 5 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 6 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 7 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 8 | LEE LA Q | |
| 9 | RobbieQ | |
| 10 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 11 | Sugba Smokehouse | |
| 12 | BBQ Pit Bros | |
| 13 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 14 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 15 | HESSHOGS | |
| 16 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 17 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 18 | Snake Holler BBQ | |
| 19 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 20 | 309 BBQ | |
| 21 | River City Smoque | |
| 22 | Firehouse 51 | |
| 23 | Body by Que | |
| 24 | Table Muscle BBQ | |
| 25 | Dead End BBQ | |
| 26 | Truck'n Sauced | |
| 27 | Ross & Hoss BBQ | |
| 28 | Bell's Up In Smoke BBQ | |
| 29 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 30 | Big B's BBQ | |
| 31 | The Dirty German BBQ |
31 entries · top 178.8572 · median 169.1084
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 2 | Sugba Smokehouse | |
| 3 | BBQ Pit Bros | |
| 4 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 5 | Too Sauced BBQ | |
| 6 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 7 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 8 | LEE LA Q | |
| 9 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 10 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 11 | RobbieQ | |
| 12 | E SQUARED BBQ | |
| 13 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 14 | 309 BBQ | |
| 15 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 16 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 17 | Snake Holler BBQ | |
| 18 | River City Smoque | |
| 19 | HESSHOGS | |
| 20 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 21 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 22 | Dead End BBQ | |
| 23 | Body by Que | |
| 24 | Ross & Hoss BBQ | |
| 25 | Firehouse 51 | |
| 26 | Table Muscle BBQ | |
| 27 | Truck'n Sauced | |
| 28 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 29 | Bell's Up In Smoke BBQ | |
| 30 | Big B's BBQ | |
| 31 | The Dirty German BBQ |
31 entries · top 178.8572 · median 166.2972
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 2 | Bramble BBQ | |
| 3 | E SQUARED BBQ | |
| 4 | HESSHOGS | |
| 5 | Sermerstout BBQ | |
| 6 | UP FROM THE PITS BBQ | |
| 7 | Too Sauced BBQ | |
| 8 | Rudes BBQ | |
| 9 | Skinny Pig BBQ | |
| 10 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 11 | Too Sauced Guys Bar-B-Que | |
| 12 | RobbieQ | |
| 13 | LEE LA Q | |
| 14 | BBQ MIKE | |
| 15 | Snake Holler BBQ | |
| 16 | All Smoked Up BBQ | |
| 17 | BBQ Pit Bros | |
| 18 | Sugba Smokehouse | |
| 19 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 20 | River City Smoque | |
| 21 | Firehouse 51 | |
| 22 | 309 BBQ | |
| 23 | Table Muscle BBQ | |
| 24 | Body by Que | |
| 25 | Truck'n Sauced | |
| 26 | Dead End BBQ | |
| 27 | Bell's Up In Smoke BBQ | |
| 28 | Big B's BBQ | |
| 29 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 30 | Ross & Hoss BBQ | |
| 31 | The Dirty German BBQ |
Run by the organizers alongside the sanctioned contest. These are judged on their own terms and do not count toward the overall score, so they're kept out of the meat stats above.
12 entries · top 178.8572 · median 174.5714
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electro-Que-ted | |
| 2 | HESSHOGS | |
| 3 | Must B Smokin' Somethin' BBQ Team | |
| 4 | BBQ Pit Bros | |
| 5 | Snake Holler BBQ | |
| 6 | Big James Kitchen | |
| 7 | Unreal O'Neal | |
| 8 | 309 BBQ | |
| 9 | Dead End BBQ | |
| 10 | Whatcha Smokin' | |
| 11 | Table Muscle BBQ | |
| 12 | Sugba Smokehouse |